The present invention relates to a drum brake arrangement for vehicle axles with a brake camshaft actuatable by a brake cylinder. The end of the brake camshaft carrying the brake cam is supported via a bearing on a carrier and the end that supports the slack adjuster is supported via a support bearing at the axle body whereby the slack adjuster is provided with a worm gear that is fixedly connected to the brake cam shaft for adjusting the drum brake arrangement according to wear of the brake pads. A bearing ring for a bearing lever that is fixedly connected to the axle body is provided also.
In the aforedescribed known construction the end of the brake camshaft supporting the slack adjuster is supported with a support bearing whereby the support bearing is comprised of a spherical bearing receiving the mantle surface of the brake camshaft in a cylindrical bearing bore and of bearing cups receiving the spherical bearing. The bearing cups are connected with screws to a support plate that is welded to the axle body. The support plate simultaneously serves for receiving a so-called fixed point holder that is connected with a lever to a bearing ring positioned within the housing of the slack adjuster so that the gear box of the automatic slack adjuster has a fixed point. Such a fixed point is required for the automatic adjustment of the brake camshaft according to the wear of the brake pads because the slack adjuster which is arranged on the brake camshaft simultaneously serves as the actuating lever for the brake cylinder.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a drum brake arrangement of the aforementioned kind with which the number of components employed is to be reduced and with which the assembly is to be simplified.